Jabari Dreams of Freedom NYC Reviews and Tickets

81%

(4 Ratings)

Positive

75%

Mixed

25%

Negative

Members say

Enchanting, Resonant, Relevant, Clever, Educational

About the Show

Music, humor, and history help tell the story of a young Black boy afraid to leave his home.

Jabari is a Black boy from the South Side of Chicago whose fear of leaving his home is put to the test. With help from his Forever POTUS Barack Obama, Jabari narrowly escapes a violent encounter with the police. Through a series of colorful paintings, Jabari is able to meet and learn from children of the past who teach him valuable lessons about how to stand up to his fears. This production was created for young audiences and uses rap, freedom songs, hip-hop dance, history, and humor in order to tell an important story about the Black experience.

Show-Score Member Reviews (4)

Educational, Great acting, Thoughtful, Powerful, Resonant

See it if you want a way to talk to your kids about racism in society and how we can all overcome fear and be brave to move towards a more just world

Don't see it if this is a really important story so lovingly told. I’d really encourage anyone with kids over 7 to see it.

Relevant, Masterful, Enchanting

See it if Well done and entertaining! Good for all ages!

Don't see it if It’s very short

Slow, Disappointing

See it if If you are 10 or under and if you are intrested in black history, with almost passable performances. The "Ruby Bridges" segment was GREAT!

Don't see it if If you are over 10. If you are bored easily, if you can't sit for 45 minutes....

Intelligent, Great singing, Entertaining, Enchanting, Clever

See it if Amazing plot structure... linear and ez to follow. The chronological timeline aides in retelling past events in the Civil Rights movement.

Don't see it if If you have an aversion to learning black 🖤 American history.

Critic Reviews (1)

"The show is geared toward kids 7 and up, but adults will find much to value in it too...Playwright Nambi E. Kelley and director Daniel Carlton don't try to frighten kids in the audience with violent imagery of protests, but they don't dumb down the material, either...Call-and-response numbers, together with Jessica Wardell's colorful set, David Lander's lively lighting, and Yu'seph Cornish's modern-day and 1960s-style costumes, get the audience feeling like a community with a common goal of fairness and justice."
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Trailer

Creative team

First Woman Productions